Adiabatic Shear Localization and Microstructure in Ultrafine Grained Aluminum Alloy at Cryogenic Temperature

Abstract

Adiabatic shear localization plays an important role in the deformation and failure of ultrafine grained 6061 aluminum alloy processed by friction stir processing. To understand the effects of temperature and strain on adiabatic shear localization in the ultrafine grained 6061 aluminum alloy, it has been investigated dynamic mechanical behavior of ultrafine grained 6061 aluminum alloy under the controlled shock loading experiments. Deformation characteristics and microstructures in the shear band were performed by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The shear band in the ultrafine grained aluminum alloy is a long and straight band distinguished from the matrix. The width of the shear band decreases with increasing nominal strain. The results show that the grains in the boundary of the shear band are highly elongated along the shear direction and form the elongated cell structures (0.2 μ in width), and the core of the shear band consists of a number of recrystallized equiaxed grains 0.2-0.3 μ in diameters and the second phases distribute in both the boundary and the inner of the equiaxed new grains. The calculated temperature in the shear band is about 692 K. Rotational dynamic recrystallization mechanism is responsible for the formation of the microstructure in the shear band.